More Lord of the Rings Pre-Reviews (spoilers!)

"The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring" - A Review by 'Greg' (Positive, Major Spoilers)

I was fortunate to see THE LORD OF RINGS at a NYC screening on MOnday, and my legs are shaking. This movie is the Real Deal--a milestone fantasy that ranks up there with the original KING KONG and STAR WARS. Peter Jackson and his team have done an amazing job of bringing J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth to the screen.

The film begins with an action packed prologue that shows the creation of "the one true ring," Sauron's early attempt to conquer Middle Earth, and a barely glimpsed Gollum losing the ring to the hobbit Bilbo Baggins.

The story proper begins with the wizard Gandalf's arrival at Bag's End to bvisit his old friend Bilbo. The special effects employed to integrate the "reduced" actors portraying the diminutive hobbits with the regular sized characters is seamless and amazing, and so convincing that after a few minutes you forget that you are even looking at effects. This section in Hobbiton is leisurely, giving viewers a chance to relax with the hobbits Frodo, Samwise, Merry and Pippin before they set off on their quest to rid Middle Earth of "the one true ring" that Bilbo has been holding for years. At this point, the film becomes increasingly and relentlessy dark.

Along the way to Rivendell (sp), where the elf Elrond holds a council to determine what must be done with the ring, the hobbits encounter the Ringwraiths of Lord Sauron--these black robed creatures on horseback are every bit as frightening as they were in the Tolkien trilogy. Tom Bambadril is cut from the story to keep it focused and to keep the running time (three magical hours) manageable.

Meanwhile, Gandalf meets with fellow wizard Saurumon (Christopher Lee), who reveals that he is in league with Sauron and imprisons Gandalf. From then on, the film occasionally cuts to Saurumon raising armies and forging war machines, scenes which have been added to increase dramatic tension. Unfortunately, most of these sequences are marred by terrible CGI shots that look like they belong in a video game based on the film (the rest of the CGI ranges in quality from fine to spectacular).

Gandalf escapes and regroups with the hobbits at Rivendall, and The Fellowship of the Ring sets out to destroy the ring at Mount Doom. Along the way, they encounter a spectacular avelanche, various creatures in a mountain city, hordes of orcs, and betrayal within their group due to the power of the ring. The film concludes open ended, like the source novel, but actually includes material from the opening of the second novel in the trilogy, THE TWO TOWERS.

Jackson succeeds in condensing the material faithfully, and the forward momentum is breath taking. Some viewers may objecyt to the countless aerial shots, but these are used to convince the audience that they have entered an entire world and not just a sound stage.

Each character in the Fellowship is given his due--Legolas kicks ass and Gimli has the funniest line in the film--and some minor characters have been given cameos or are at least referenced to appease fans.

Ian McKellan is superb as Gandalf, Elijah Wood conveys Frodo's distress at his predicament--and carries the film--and Vigo Mortenson excels as Aragorn. There is not a poor performance in the film, and as in the novel, the climax (or anti-climax, depending on your point of view), is extremely, moving and emotional; Tolkien's themes of friendship, loyalty and sacrifice have been preserved.

"The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring" - A Review by 'cfrog83' (Mixed/Positive, Major Spoilers)

I caught a press screening of Lord of the Rings today in Boston. It surprised me in a lot of ways - most of them luckily were positive. Most notably, the special effects and action sequences are quite amazing, and Peter Jackson asserting that the films couldn't be made until modern technology caught up to Tolkien was not incorrect. An excellent mix of digital and traditional effects techniques are on the screen, unlike the new Star Wars films (which are easy to compare to LOTR), which comparitively look extremely fake. The movie as a whole is extremely intense and surprisingly violent. Some of the action gets repetitive, but it is nonetheless riveting for the most part.

Jackson has done a good job translating the magic of Tolkien to the screen. His imagining is full-bodied and extremely opulent, and at the same time it doesn't invade the novel (like Harry Potter, for example). The dialogue, however, is often very, very wooden, something that may be intentional but nonetheless obstrusive. Viggo Mortensen and Sean Bean are particularly annoying in their highly typecast, mannered performances, and cringes are certainly induced during Boromir's elongated death sequence. However, unlike Harry Potter, for the most part Jackson's interpretation is marvelous - this film is absolutely, undoubtedly beautiful and feels far less commercial than Potter (think Star Wars more than Home Alone). However, it is also at times unbearably ponderous. Though huge Tolkien fans might disagree, judicious cuts could certainly have been made, especially in the expository explanations from Gandalf about EVERYTHING. At times it borders on self-aware cheesiness; a little more modernization would have been (guilty as I may be for saying it) quite appropriate.

Overall, an excellent effort and certainly worthy of a view by any movie fan. It's not unqualifiably excellent, but certainly a lot of fun and definitely whets the appetite for the next films. This is one big Hollywood film to finally get excited about - especially after the absolute piece-of-shat Harry Potter.

"The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring" - A Review by 'Paul Fischer' (Positive, No Spoilers)

2 hrs. 35 min. Set in mythic pre-historic times, a young hobbit named Frodo Baggins inherits a magic ring from his adoptive father Bilbo. Wise to the powers that the magic ring holds, the dark Lord Sauron wants it, knowing it will enable him to enslave the people of Middle Earth. In his effort to thwart Sauron, Frodo recruits the fellowship of a wizard, an elf, a dwarf and others on a mission to destroy the ring by casting it into the volcanic fires in the Crack of Doom. However, the ring unleashes its own power as a result of the struggle.

Peter Jackson's stunning version of the first of the Tolkien novels, is everything Harry Potter should have been: Magical, visionary, and escapist, yet with some genuine depth. Despite its near three hour length, Fellowship of the Ring is movie that transports the viewer into this Middle Earth world of hobbits and wizards, and as one watches the film unfold, one is all too aware that recent mythology, from Star Wars to Harry Potter, stemmed from Tolkien's masterful parable. New Zealand director Jackson has masterfully, along with his collaborators Fran Walsh, has taken the major elements of the first book and crafted a script that is faithful to the text while affording audiences that are new to the material, the opportunity to be introduced to these characters without needing any prior knowledge of the book. As faithful Jackson is to Tolkien, the director's own visual depth comes into play, and thus on a visual level, the world of Middle Earth has been meticulously and imaginatively brought to the screen. Shot on location in New Zealand, Fellowship of the Ring looks magnificent, enhanced by the exquisite production design of Grant Major and the magnificent cinematography of Australia's Andrew Lesnie. Characters and setting come dazzlingly alive in Jackson's masterful interpretation.

Jackson's casting is as perfect, from the powerful and hypnotic work of Ian McKellen as the protective wizard Gandalf, to veteran Christopher Lee as wizard-turned-evil Saruman. Elijah Wood is the perfect Frodo blending him with naivety and reluctant heroism; Viggo Mortensen is the perfectly soulful Strider, and Sean Astin is a delight as best friend Sam. Jackson's use of special effects enhances the narrative without overshadowing a detailed sense of theme and character, and the music of Howard Shore is evocative and beautifully subtle.

Fellowship of the Ring is a movie that transports the viewers and makes one believe they have entered this mythical world. Tolkien fans will rejoice in Jackson's faithful rendition of the material, while others will gladly be swept away by the magnificent imagery, the richness of the characters and the emotional pull of the story. A remarkable and exhilarating experience, Fellowship of the Ring is a masterpiece of the genre.

Tell me about it. It sure can get boring out here all alone though. I figure my lack of bathing fends off most people, but I expect that there will be a few brave souls that will put up with it. I may be all alone out here on the street, but the first ticket is MINE dammit MINE!!!!!!!

To all FReepers who are posting these burgeoning LOTR reviews -- THANK YOU !!!

:-) Makes the wait almost bearable.

If you read the long and moving Appendix at the end of The Return of the King, you will see that Arwen is actually one of the MAJOR players and the reason Middle Earth was saved for Men.

Nothing like actually reading Tolkien's words: no dispute :-)

Waiting in line? one word: movietickets.com. Or is that two words? I saw Harry Potter on opening night, having bought my ticket (from the comfort of my swivel chair) a week in advance. The shows had been sold out since the Monday before it opened. I'm doing the same for LOTR.

If they did I'll be pissed. After all one of the premier roles would be Galadreil and one of the minor themes is Gimli's infatuation with her. Later on there is the princess (forgot her name) who dons armor and pretends to be a man in order to go off to war and then slays the Nazgul. (who can't be slain by the hand of man). I won't brook too much tinkering with the story. I had heard that they cut Tom Bombadil which leaves me to wonder if they cut out the entire Old Forest and Old Man Willow and the Barrow Downs since It was Tom who got them out of those fixes. Tom is one of the more interesting characters to me. He calls himself the eldest and the Ring has no power over him. Where exactly he fits in the Middle-Earth mythos is still a mystery to me.

No - Liv Tylers character Arwen was not added, but her role has been enhanced slightly from the books, some minor character's words and deeds have been given to her. No real terrible deviance from the books, nothing added, just an enhancement. While Peter Jackson and crew tried as hard as they could to stay faithful to the books, it just isn't possible 100% of the time when translating a book into a movie.

Unfortunatly, Bombadil is out of the film, was sacrificed to keep the running time reasonable (although I've heard a rumor that Bombadil might be added for the video/dvd director's cut, don't know yet). Bombadil is a weird character, but I think Tolkien used him to show that there is good in the world, Tom was totally uncorruptable by the ring. Light in the darkness, that sort of thing.

"The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring" - A Review by 'Paul Fischer' (Positive, No Spoilers)

Has this guy even seen the movie? It is obvious that he hasn't read the book.

If you read the long and moving Appendix at the end of The Return of the King, you will see that Arwen is actually one of the MAJOR players and the reason Middle Earth was saved for Men.

That doesn't justify embellishing her role in LOTR. I knew before this project ever started that the lack of female characters would be a problem for anyone who attempted to make a marketable film. My opinion's on hold until I see the movie for myself.

The real question, I suspect, is whether he allows Tolkien's essentially Catholic spirituality to shine through. Tolkien did not write an explicitly Christian work, but without that spiritual element the movie would still be missing something very central.

Do we still get "Ah, Elbereth, Gilthoniel / Silivren penna miriel" and similar passages? (Spelling? Quoted from memory.)

I've heard that they added a female character to "soften up" the mostly male cast. Is this true?

No, they expanded the role of Arwen (she meets them near the ford instead of Glorfindel and has a romantic scene with Strider in Rivendel) but they didn't stick anyone new into the Fellowship.

"she meets them near the ford instead of Glorfindel and has a romantic scene with Strider in Rivendel"

WHAT!?!?!AAAUUUGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!

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Frodo Lives!